Having finalised the layouts for the packaging I filled in the information using text from The Saucy Fish Co's online shop - this allowed me to position the text in a way that I knew would have enough room to contain all the necessary information. To do this it was necessary to use 6pt text, so I made sure to use white text on the black background to make the text as readable as possible.
Because the text for the ingredient list had to be so small the text for nutritional values and baking instructions was small to match this, meaning there wasn't any information that needed to go on the bottom of the packaging. This gap was subsequently filled with the logo to help the packaging be recognised were it to be stacked in such a way that the bottom of the packaging was visible.
I then used the mock-up template I created to show how the final products would look.
Using these mock-ups and the nets for the packaging I produced the below PDF to submit to YCN. It'll be easy to modify these for my extended practice submission.
Knowing that the main part of this brief is the functionality of the packaging as opposed to a radical aesthetic re-design and that the outer box shape from my prototype was going to be carried forward I started working on the for it. It makes sense to start with this part as I'll need to know the sizes of the margins in order to create nets that will correctly align the windows.
The Saucy Fish Co use very bright colours, but I feel they're a bit feminine at the moment as they tend to be pastel shades. By using more concentrated colours the femininity is neutralised somewhat whilst also making the colours more exciting, something the brief requires. Using more concentrated colours meant that rather than using black I'd use a slightly off-black to make the contrast not as heavy. I used a different shade for each colour, tinting the black with the main colour slightly each time.
The 4 colours are to be used for different flavour categories of fish; green for herby flavours, orange for cheesy flavours, red for spicy flavours, and purple for any other obscure flavours.
Like in my initial drawings I used the wobbly line in the logo as a design feature all the was around the box, this is a relevant way to add the colour to the packaging as the brand is generally quite stingy in it's use of colour because it's so bright. The nets look like below with the colours applied.
I started working on the layout of the text near the edges first to establish margins. I used 9mm margins to allow enough width for 3 layers of corrugated cardboard to fit inside, this will give the box plenty of structural integrity and still leave enough room on the inner of the design so the window won't lay over the corrugated card. I made sure to put the logo or at least the logotype on each face so that it's recognisable from every angle it could be seen at on a shelf.
I used 5mm gutters as I wanted the information to be kept close together to match the very fine leading in the logo. The current packaging tends to use full capitals, I saw no reason to change this as it matches the bold use of colour within the branding - I used Avenir Next Bold in various sizes between 10 and 18 point to create a hierarchy of type, Avenir Next looks very similar to the logotype. Colour also helps this hierarchy but it was mainly done to mirror the use of colour in the logo, the colour on top, white below.
Initially I wanted a photograph on the back of the packaging, but after seeing how this looked in practice I wasn't sure if it was appropriate, various people advised me the it was far too square and contrasted with the curved lines used throughout the rest of the packaging - they suggested that the are should be used for text about the product instead.
The placement of the text worked well in all 4 colours
I then created an isometric diagram to display the packaging on in future, I did this now so I could test the packaging in it's current state to make sure I hadn't missed anything glaringly obvious so I could change it now while I'm at an early stage.
A quick mock-up showed the packaging to look like this, which I'm really happy with for this stage of the brief.
Having cut out all the parts I needed for the net it became clear immediately that it was far to complicated to be commercially viable to be produced in this way.
That said, the net for the main box worked perfectly in that the opening mechanism aligned well and the cutout shape looked nice. I found that adding an additional layer behind the cutout adds extra depth to the packaging, this layer could be cut out of brightly coloured card to add a sense of vibrancy to the packaging, reflecting the aesthetics of the brand.
The grooves were very hard to align by hand, which made sliding the internal bits in them very difficult. On top of this the acetate went all warped and had lots of burn marks from the laser, which doesn't reflect the quality positioning of the brand. I cut out some of the internal pieces out of card after realising the acetate wouldn't work but the card was too sturdy to fold in the intricate ways it was required.
It's clear that the packaging I'm proposing is far too complex and there are elements that need to be changed. The grooves system is far too intricate and could be simplified. The internal box can't be made solely of acetate as it's too flimsy, instead making it out of card that's duplexed with acetate would solve this.
For these reasons it'd be much simpler to use corrugated cardboard to re-enforce the outer box but leave a large square whole inside where another box can be inserted into and removed from, the box that will sit in here will be made of card duplexed with acetate and contain the fish, something like the below diagram.
Having re-read the brief I've realised it's not necessary to submit a physical prototype for YCN, so it's something I'll concentrate for the extended practice submission, as developing a working prototype before the deadline will leave me very limited time to work on the actual packaging design. I'll submit the packaging in the form of mock-ups.
Given the changes that were made to the net in the fish transport packaging brief, I've learned to get the net right first before designing the packaging itself. This morning I taped some A4 sheets together and drew out the net to check that it worked and it was roughly the right size, only to realise upon completion of the net that I didn't know how big a fish fillet is. That said, given that the basic shape of the packaging is a box, it wouldn't take too much altering to adjust it as the net is so simple.
This lead me on to start thinking about what materials I'd use for the packaging - paper was clearly too flimsy, so some sort of thicker card would be better. I feel like something around 350gsm would provide the appropriate protection - I know this as I recently had some business cards printed on stock of that thickness.
The grooves on the insides of the box will be made out of 3mm corrugated cardboard, having used this material for the fish transport bag project I know it's very difficult to fold or bend against the direction of the flutes. The relatively thin nature of it should allow me to make a fairly precise system of grooves as well. I propose that the grooves the cardboard will create will look like the diagram below - this will allow the material that suspends the fish above the outer packaging to fold around the grooves so it won't slip out.
Having looked into what transparent materials I could use I was struggling to find one that was conventionally recyclable, according to this website I can use acetate as it is recyclable if done properly, so this isn't going against the brief. Acetate is perfect as it won't absorb any oils from the fish, is sturdy enough not to break under the weight of the fish, and is flexible enough to fold to fit the grooves in the box.
I recreated the net and the appropriate size bits of cardboard and acetate in illustrator so I can get a more practical mock-up created using the laser cutter at some point next week. The below illustrator files show how the nets and bits of cardboard and acetate I'll be using will look.
After considering the things mentioned in the previous post, I decided that the way to go would be some sort of box with a cutout. This allows me to use recyclable material (some sort of card) in a way that is space-efficient for supermarket shelves, and allows the product to be seen by the customer.
In order to stop the fish from touching the cardboard and causing it to loose it's sturdiness I plan to suspend the fish inside the box using some sort of transparent material in grooves in the side of the box. These grooves will be made out of layered corrugated card which will keep the packaging sturdy.
The two sheets of material that sit in the grooves either side of the product will be connected at the closed end of the box and down the sides of the product, this will mean that when one of them is pulled out the other comes with it, pulling the product with it. The material these sheets will be made of will be flimsy enough to be squeezed into the shape of a McDonalds Apple Pie packaging, minimising the contact surface area between the bottom sheet and the product to allow the product to slide off the sheet and on to an oven tray. This is dependent on the material the sheets are made not absorbing the oils from the fish.
The packaging will be opened by a tearing mechanism as this will reduce the chance of the product sliding out as much as possible.
This is what the initial sketches looked like.
Retrospectively the window would probably be in the shape of The Saucy Fish Co's logo. This would give the window more relevance as well as reduce how much the current sketch looks like packaging for some sort of handheld games console and stops the proportions resembling a microwave. The latter is particularly important given the quality positioning of the brand.
Having looked into the Saucy Fish Co.'s current packaging it looks as if they have 3 main types that exist at the moment; sleeves, boxes, and foil bag packs. I established the main advantages and disadvantages of each
Sleeves
- Makes the product visible
- Uses the brand logo as part of the packaging
- Plastic tray won't go soggy and is durable
Boxes
- Supermarket-shelf efficient
- Easily recyclable
- Doesn't show the actual product
Foil Bag Packs
- Irregular shape
- Non-recyclable foil
- Customer doesn't have to touch the fish
My Interpretation Of The Brief
The brief states that "We believe that fish is always the hero. So, we definitely don't want to hide it. Let the fish be seen in all its mouth-watering glory." This suggests there needs to be some sort of window for the product to be seen through like in the sleeve and the foil bag packs.
It also states that "we need to make sure that the packaging is designed so that it uses the shelf space as efficiently as possible", which means the packaging needs to be able to tesselate, something which only the box does currently.
"We know that some people are a little bit squeamish about touching fish. So, it would be fantastic if the packaging was clever enough to go straight into the oven" and "All of our packaging needs to be recyclable and lightweight." are statements than makes this difficult as there aren't going to be many materials that fulfil these requirements. It could be easier to make all of the packaging recyclable and devise some sort of way of getting the fish into the over without it being touched.
The material used for the packaging needs to be fairly thick and durable because it needs to "protect the product whilst it's on shelf and being transported home so ultimately enhancing the consumption occasion by ensuring the fish is as fresh as when it was caught."
